DUBUQUE, Iowa – The Loras College baseball team will open its 2026 season on Friday, Feb. 20, with a neutral site doubleheader against Macalester College at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. in Topeka, Kans.

It's the first time the Purple and Gold will face Macalester, but not the first time they will take on a foe from the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. The Duhawks own a 13-13 record versus MIAC opponents in their history.

"I'm really excited to see how our guys compete," said Head Coach Carl Tebon, who enters his 30^th season at the helm of the Loras baseball team. "There's competition for a lot of spots on the team, and I think that shows our depth."

Loras returns after a 2025 campaign that culminated in a seventh-place conference finish and 19 wins. Going into 2026, they didn't lose a lot of production and notably retained three of their four all-conference selections.

"Our senior class is a highlight for us. You have guys like Alex Sandoval, Cody Sunny, and Vince Polizzi in the infield, and then Jackson Cullen and Jack Carney in the outfield. There's a lot of leadership for the young guys."

The Duhawks' senior class accounted for roughly 40 percent of the team's hits and hit .311 on average a year ago. They also retained some arms, with Will Moonan, Andrew Krause, and Dylan Ackermann donning the Purple and Gold once more.

A good core is great, but there are also some new faces that Coach Tebon wanted to address.

"I'm interested in seeing some guys throw a bit. Ethan Rogers and Lucas Weiner are a couple of freshmen we've been impressed with," stated Coach Tebon. "Then you have Ryan Quinlan, and Ben Shea, who is a sophomore, but we haven't seen a lot of him, and Isiah Rose in the field. Of course, we can't forget our new assistant coach Shane Geurink either!"

Coach Geurink, who has prior coaching experience with Northwestern College and Simpson College, joins the staff as the third full-time member. He has a range of expertise and was a former bullpen pitcher at NAIA Northwestern College for four years. For the Duhawks, he deals mainly with the pitching staff and daily analytical outputs.

After the trip to Topeka, Loras hits the road for a series against Greenville University, followed by a scrimmage versus the University of Iowa. They then compete at the RussMatt Central Florida Invitational, where they will play six games in six days from Mar. 8 – Mar. 13.

The non-conference schedule rounds out with matchups against Augustana College, UW-Platteville, and Dominican University. Amid this, American Rivers Confernce play begins on Mar. 20, as the Duhawks travel to Pella, Iowa to face the Dutch of Central College.